Lemon Drop
by bless-ya-soul
Summary: The castle is torn apart, and students and professors alike are struggling to keep it together. One-shot


Minnie nodded to a few students, giving a very forced smile and quickening her step. Her head was high in it's usual posh manner and her arms made very little movement by her sides. She knew this castle like the back of her hand. It really and truly was her home, even if some of it's pupils made her tail twitch. Her speed-walking was like no other, and she made it through the empty corridors with ease. She just had to get to that office.

"Professor?" A confused looking first-year with red rings around his eyes, called out behind her. "Professor?"

During her time here, she liked to think of herself as firm and disciplined. Tough but also fair. She didn't think many people would disagree; maybe just the troublemakers that frequented her detention periods or some of the faculty she never associated herself with. There was a standard and sure as hell, she was determined to uphold it. As the first year continued to call her name, she kept walking, disappearing up the stairs as though she hadn't heard.

Minnie made it to the top of the stairs before leaning against the cold, stone walls, her hands trembling. It took her a second to remind her feet to press forwards, and with a hand to smooth her hair back, she continued on her way. The rest was easy and she remained undisturbed. Relatively undisturbed, apart from her mind. Her smile had finally disappeared, replaced only by a twitching lip and a tightly clenched jaw. It was as though her body was tied to an invisible thread, tugging her along while her mind continued to fail her.

She struggled with the keys, dropping them several times and forgetting which one it was exactly that fit the lock. With a moment of relief, the door opened and she rushed inside, placing it firmly closed. She stared at the back of the large wooden door for several long moments, caught with the sudden urge to closely examine the wood and patterns in the grain. Rivers running through a sea of dark mahogany, curling up and around, dancing and whimsical, creating eyes that stared blankly back at her. She had never noticed—

Tears started slowly, a few glistening drops on her aged and drooping face. Her eyes swelled along with her nose, before the streams began flowing freely, dampening the top of her robes. Overcome with this sudden rush of emotion, she reached a hand out to steady herself. The wiry limb however found nothing but air and she lost her balance, collapsing to her knees. She covered her face, though no one was there to see. It was the last remnant of her unwavering pride, the one thing she could count on. Predictable, though sometimes a nuisance, it kept her grounded and on track. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a cause to reflect, her mind constantly reevaluating. But where had all that gone? Sometime after taking the position perhaps? When she got promoted to Head of House? Maybe after Christmas, seeing her family with all _their families_ and her plus one had been too busy to show. Or maybe getting too comfortable—

 _Comfortable? Not at a time like this._ Finding her passion for teaching, whilst losing her passion for life.

She didn't know how long she spent on the floor, her legs aching though unable to move. Her knees grew bruised and her face red and blotchy. The aching feeling behind her eyes that she hadn't felt since being a little girl, along with the habit of rubbing her wet and sticky hands on her robes.

—/—

A light tapping sound woke her up from her trance. She lowered her paintbrush and called for it's owner.

"Professor?" a timid and slightly wavering voice came through the opening door, belonging to a student of her's that was quite familiar.

"Miss Granger." She responded, her back still turned towards the door as she silenced the relaxing charm that was currently playing the sounds of the ocean. Apart from a floating easel and an array of colourful paint, the office look relatively unperturbed, much like it's professor.

"Professor," Hermione walked into the room with a determined step. "I just wanted to stop by to ask for an extension on the essay due tomorrow."

Minerva looked up from her piece, her face cold and unreadable.

"It's just… in light of recent events…" Hermione continued timidly, having lost her usual tenacity after the funeral. The day had dragged on and her worried mind refused to be soothed, no matter which book she picked up.

The professor managed a curt nod, too scared to speak. Her tongue was dry and itchy and the throb behind her eyes returned. She clenched her jaw.

"Thank you, professor." Hermione said quietly, looking down at her shoes. She couldn't move. There was so much she wanted to say, things she needed to share but felt she couldn't. There was a wall and both of them felt it.

Hermione leapt from her spot and wrapped her hands around the stiff woman, holding tightly and burying her face into the Gryffindor colours. She stayed for a moment till she felt the professor soften slightly. "He thought the world of you," she managed to whisper, her voice betraying her tears. Minnie didn't know what to do and her hands returned the tight hug before she realized what was happening.

"He thought the world of _you_ too. _All of you_." She said, her voice gentle. Without a maternal bone in her body as some would say, she managed to find it somewhere deep inside her. All other airs had washed away and her trembling hands clasped together around the girl's back. The pair held for another moment before they both pulled away. Wiping a quick tear as discreetly as possible, Minerva nodded again as if to say, "it was alright." In a world that had just come crashing down on all of them, it was going to be alright.

Hermione turned to leave, her heart heavy. She could feel the professor's gaze following her out, and instead of feeling reassured she only felt sorry.

"It looks like a bird," she said, turning back around at the door.

It took a moment for McGonagall to realize what she was referring to, before cluing in. She nodded and gave a small shrug, "it was supposed to be a beach."

Hermione gave her half a smile before closing the door quietly behind her. Minnie gave the painting one last look. It was just a big blob of blue that she was spreading around mindlessly with her brush. Picking up another colour, yellow, she smiled and started to do the same on the top of the canvas.


End file.
